PSR Blog

In the midst of the current stampede to slash federal spending, Congress might want to take a look at two unnecessary (and dangerous) "national security" programs that, if cut, would save the United States over a quarter of a trillion dollars over the next decade. Read more »3 comment(s)

It’s August in DC. It may be hyperbolic, but there are times when I feel like bursting into flames is an appropriate reaction to the horrible atmosphere that greets me when I leave the safe confines of air-conditioning. Read more »

The U.S. and Russian Federation are off to a successful beginning in implementing the New START Treaty, which entered into force on February 5. As of July 25, the U.S. had conducted seven inspections of Russian facilities, while the Russians had visited six U.S. facilities. This is a fast pace, given that the yearly quota is 18 inspections for each side. Read more »3 comment(s)

Eliminating nuclear weapons is the democratic wish of the world’s people. Yet no nuclear-armed country currently appears to be preparing for a future without these terrifying devices. In fact, all are squandering billions of dollars on modernization of their nuclear forces, making a mockery of United Nations disarmament pledges. If we allow this madness to continue, the eventual use of these instruments of terror seems all but inevitable. Read more »2 comment(s)

Fukushima prefecture residents are pressing the Japanese government for the fundamental right to relocate away from contaminated areas and to be compensated for their loss of homes and livelihoods. Read more »1 comment(s)

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) task force on the Fukushima nuclear disaster has presented its recommendations for improving safety at US reactors to the NRC Commissioners. Read more »1 comment(s)

It feels good to tell ourselves that everything is going to be okay. It’s an urge that everyone can understand. So, when I read the Washington Post’s editorial, Learning lessons from Fukushima, a part of me can empathize. Read more »

The Department of Energy Improvement Act of 2011 (S. 1160) has been quietly introduced in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee. The committee ostensibly held a hearing on the bill on July 12, but it was largely ignored in lieu of two other bills on solar and geothermal energy, respectively. Read more »

On July 14, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee once again passed legislation that sets up a Clean Energy Deployment Administration (CEDA) to provide loan guarantees as well as indirect subsidies to “clean” energy projects. Read more »

The latest story in the fab AP series on the state of nuclear reactors in the US introduces the hot topic of evacuation zones in the event of a nuclear accident in the United States. NRC regulations specify that there must be a plan in place to evacuate 10 miles around US reactors. Read more »

Within the past week, we have witnessed two separate nuclear threats in the United States as a consequence of a forest fire and flooding. The Los Alamos National Laboratory is the birthplace of the nuclear bomb and continues to be a center for nuclear weapons’ development and a place for storage of radioactive waste. A forest fire that has already consumed 61,000 acres of forest is now at the edge of Los Alamos. The Fort Calhoun Nuclear Reactor is imperiled by flood waters from the Missouri River. Read more »1 comment(s)

Within the past week, we have witnessed two separate nuclear threats in the United States as a consequence of a forest fire and flooding. The Los Alamos National Laboratory is the birthplace of the nuclear bomb and continues to be a center for nuclear weapons’ development and a place for storage of radioactive waste. A forest fire that has already consumed 61,000 acres of forest is now at the edge of Los Alamos. The Fort Calhoun Nuclear Reactor is imperiled by flood waters from the Missouri River. Read more »1 comment(s)

It’s that time of year again when Congress attempts to move through the appropriations process. If you need a refresher, Schoolhouse Rock shows how the process is supposed to work... Here’s a look at where we’re at so far with nuclear subsidies. Read more »1 comment(s)

The production of nuclear weapons components is a dirty business. That's why Congress set up a program at the turn of the century (called the EEOICPA) that reimburses nuclear workers up to $400,000 and a medical card to pay for expenses related to their illness. There is a list of several hundred workers from the KC Plant who have died at relatively young ages from brain tumors, pancreatic cancer, leukemia and other catastrophic illnesses. Read more »2 comment(s)

Welcome to The Nuclear Reaction, the new blog by Physicians for Social Responsibility’s Safe Energy Program. The Safe Energy Program was established in 2008 to protect public health, taxpayers, and national security by preventing the construction of expensive, polluting, and dangerous new nuclear reactors. Read more »6 comment(s)

Ann Suellentrop, MSRN, PSR Kansas City leader and her colleagues, the KC Peace Planters, collected over 4,000 signatures to stop the building of a new nuclear weapons production facility city in Kansas City, Missouri. Read more »1 comment(s)